Milton's Theatrical Epic: The Invention and Design of Paradise Lost - Hardcover

Demaray, John G

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0674331567 ISBN 13: 9780674331563

Publisher: Harvard University Press, 1980

Synopsis

In this analysis of Milton's artistry as an epic poet, John G. Demaray offers a fresh perspective on one of the world's great epic poems.

Placing Paradise Lost against the background of Renaissance theatrical and literary forms—pageants, baroque spectacles, masques, musical dramas, and Continental heroic works—Demaray offers the first extended critical reading of the poem as a unique theatrical epic incorporating heroic conventions, theological materials, and elements of visual pageantry. He examines Milton's early experiments in prophetic verse and theatrical forms, the poet's exposure to Italian theater and art during travels in 1638–39, and the influence of classical, Continental, and British works upon evolving drafts of Paradise Lost. He relates the epic in new ways to the writings of Jonson, Dryden, and others.

Readers interested in seventeenth-century literature, Renaissance and baroque theater, the epic, religious writings, and the creative processes of Milton's imagination will all find many original insights in Milton's Theatrical Epic.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication date: 1980
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674331567
• ISBN 13: 9780674331563
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 179